The one-man play Sirgûn “Rîşa Pûç,” brought to the stage by writer and actor Ayhan Erkmen, brings together the exile-filled lives of three great names in Kurdish literature: Celadet Alî Bedirxan, Erebê Şemo, and Mehmed Uzun.

Directed by Sabri Ejder Öziç, the play met with audiences at the Sezai Karakoç Culture and Congress Center (ÇandAmed) on the 18th anniversary of Mehmed Uzun’s death.

This special evening was not just a theater performance; it was a historical confrontation, a literary commemoration, and an emotional journey etched in the memory of the Kurdish people.

Sirgûn “Rîşa Pûç” is not just a play; it is a story of resistance, nourished by the memory of the people and shaped by exile. Erkmen’s one-man performance makes a powerful contribution to Kurdish culture, art, and literature, bringing the spirit of three great writers into the present. The play touched both the hearts and memories of the audience.

Zozan Uzun: Celadet’s spirit came to Mehmed…

Mehmed Uzun’s wife, Zozan Uzun, took the stage after the play and moved the audience with her words:

“Our history is full of hardship. Mehmed cried while he wrote. No one could ask him why he was crying. He made them into heroes. There was so much pain that it caused him to fall ill.

I often see the destinies of Celadet Ali Bedirhan and Mehmed as one. Celadet is gone, but his spirit came to Mehmed Uzun.”

Zozan Uzun, while describing Mehmed Uzun’s passion for writing, also expressed his spiritual connections with these words:

“He woke up in his sleep and wrote something. ‘What are you doing?’ I asked. ‘Be quiet,’ he said, ‘Celadet Ali Bedirhan is telling me something.’”

Zeynep Yaş: We commemorate him not just once a year, but always

Zeynep Yaş, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, drew attention to the continuity of Kurdish literature in her speech at the event:

“We see that it is no longer just once a year; something is being done all the time. Literature is developing. Academics and young people are now receiving education in Kurdish. Their struggle is to keep literature alive in an aesthetic way. We thank Ayhan Erkmen for presenting us with an effective and emotional play.”

Yaş concluded her speech by saying, “Today was a special day in the person of Mehmed Uzun. May his soul rest in peace.”

Narin Nadirova: Wherever we are, the stories of the Kurds are always the same

Narin Nadirova, one of the Soviet Kurds deported to Kazakhstan, took the stage at the commemoration event and said:

“I am very happy to be with my people. Mehmed Uzun’s memorial day is a special day for us. They deported us to Kazakhstan. Wherever we are, the stories of the Kurds are always the same; we suffered greatly, but we still stand tall.”

Nadirova thanked Ayhan Erkmen, describing his theater as “an unforgettable history.”